Feeding a baby during the night can be hard at times. It might feel difficult to cope with the frequent waking during the night, whether you’re breastfeeding or bottle feeding.
Preparing before a feed by organising your space to keep you and your baby comfortable can make feeds easier to cope with. Try to have everything you need for feeding close to you.
This could include:
You can also keep nappies and wipes somewhere close with a dim light to avoid waking up your baby too much when changing. Try to only change a nappy at night if your baby has done a poo or is very wet.
You’ll probably feel very tired so make sure your baby is safe. Remove any cushions, pillows or blankets. If you’re struggling to stay awake, it might help to listen to a podcast with earphones, have a magazine to glance at or hum lullabies to your baby. You might want to make eye contact with your baby if their eyes are open.
Sharing night feeds or tasks between feeds with someone else can help the process feel easier. You could split responsibilities with a partner, a family member or friend who is supporting you.
If you’re bottle feeding you may be able to share feeding with another person and take it in turns. If you’re breastfeeding, you can ask someone else to burp your baby after a feed, change them or place them down to sleep. This will allow you to rest more between feeds.
Cluster feeding is when your baby takes lots of shorter feeds over a block of time – this may be a few hours or longer. Sometimes there will be small gaps between feeds, but sometimes it can feel constant. This is common during the first few months of a baby’s life, but it can feel difficult for parents or carers, especially at night.
There are some things you can do to help cluster feeding feel easier. Know that this is your baby’s routine right now, but it is a phase that will pass. Where possible, try to sleep when your baby sleeps. If you are breastfeeding, make sure you are drinking plenty of water and getting enough calories.
It can be hard to step away from your baby but ask others to help you take a break when you can so you can rest. Your partner, friend or family member may be able to take the baby for a while to help you get some extra sleep or do something for yourself.
When things feel hard, try to remember that night feeds won’t last forever and that you are building a deep bond with your baby. It can also help to remember that all babies have different sleeping and feeding patterns, so your baby’s night routine might not be the same as other babies the same age.
If you need to talk to someone you can also get support from:
This advice was written by our experienced Parent Talk coaches. Parent Talk is a free online service for parents and carers, provided by the charity Action for Children. For more advice, message our parenting coaches with our online chat.
